France’s Boris Bede signs with the CFL’s Montreal Alouettes

Montreal is the next stop in the outstanding career of French kicker Boris Bede.

The Canadian Football League’s (CFL) Montreal Alouettes announced that they had reached a two-year agreement with the former kicker of the Rouge et Or in Quebec City. At 6’4″, 225 lbs, Bede’s a giant of a kicker. At the next Alouettes training camp this June, he will try to wrest the position from a veteran of six seasons, Sean Whyte. Last year, Whyte was was both kicker and punter for Montreal, which is the norm in the CFL, but Bede also filled both roles with the Rouge et Or.

Bede on this opportunity with the CFL’s Montreal Alouettes;

“I’m thankful for the chance that the Alouettes and general manager Jim Popp are giving me to bring my dream a step closer.”

Bede kicking with the Rouge et Or of Laval University

A native of Toulon, France and son of a former member of the Cote d’Ivorian national soccer team, Boris Bede was initially part of the soccer team at the University of Sherbrooke. He eventually traded in the round ball for the oval one and choose the American football program at Laval University. He filled the role of Christopher Milo, who left for the pros with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

In international play, Boris Bede has represented and played for Team France in the 2014 European Championships.

In Bede’s his first season in 2011, the team went to Vanier Cup Final (the Canadian University National Championship), and narrowly lost.

In 2012 and 2013, Bede contributed to the immense success of Laval, who won the Vanier Cup in both seasons. In 2014, the team also dominated but was upset in the playoffs by the eventual national champions, the Carabins, of the University of Montreal.

During his four years in Laval, including the playoffs, Bede and his teammates have won 43 games and lost only five.

Bede proudly representing his home country.

Individually, Bede was honored when he was named to the All-Star team of the Quebec Conference in 2012, 2013 and 2014. He was also named MVP of special teams in 2014.

In September 2014 alone, he went 8-for-8 in field goals and scored 32 points, both team records.

Since he is not Canadian, he was not subject to the draft of the Canadian League. However, since 2013, he has been in the sights of the Alouettes, who had placed him on their watch list. Bede decided to play out his final year of eligibility at the university level.

Now that this step is behind him, he is ready to make the jump to professionals.

Parts of this article originally appeared on the site www.footballamericain.com in French and have been translated and published by AFI.

John McKeon is a former professional and collegiate American Football player and coach now living and working in New York. His goal is to spread news, information, and opinion on the global growth of the sport he loves.